Monster
by caylalupin
Summary: Rachel Wagner doesn't want to have anything to do with the Marauders. She wants to stay the quiet, ignored girl that she was since she started school. But when she and Remus Lupin begin studying together at the library every night, she wonders if all the Marauders are as bad as Sirius and James. Meanwhile, a brilliant and powerful wizard named Tom Riddle is gaining followers all
1. Introduction

INTRO

"Lyall, I don't think this can be fixed," Hope Lupin said worriedly. "It's permanent. He'll never be a normal boy -"

"Don't say that," Lyall replied. "We can home-school him, and nobody will know."

"But he won't have any friends," Hope argued. "Nobody would want to be friends with a werewolf!"

"He can go to Hogwarts, then! We just have to keep it a secret. He could have friends, Hope! He could be the coolest kid in school, for all we know! We can't just assume he'll be an outcast for the rest of his life. We have to give him a chance." Hope looked up and saw tears in her husband's eyes. She knew that he never dreamed that standing up for what he believed could cost his son's reputation.

"Lyall, this wasn't your fault." Hope said determinedly. Lyall shook his head.

"Yes, it was, if I just shut up and called the Ministry of Magic when Greyback came -"

"I would've done the same thing," Hope said.

They were interrupted when a woman with straight black hair and a lime-green cloak came bustling into their bedroom. "Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, but you may see your son. He's doing much better." Lyall and Hope exchanged nervous glances, and the man led them down the hall into Remus's bedroom.

The sight of Remus lying there, so pale, so sickly, with dark circles under his eyes, caused Lyall to break down. He collapsed into the nearest chair, staring into the face of the boy who was once his bright, healthy son, knowing it was his fault.

The doctor jabbered on about fatal bites, and healing in a month or so, but neither Lyall nor Hope really heard any of it. They were trying to listen, but they couldn't help but look into their son's pale face, wondering if he would ever be the same again.

When the doctor dismissed them, and they got up, Remus's eyes flickered open. The doctors gasped, and Lyall rushed down to kneel by his bed, Hope following closely behind, her light brown waves hanging around her shoulders.

Remus smiled, and Lyall tried to smile back, but it looked more like a teary grimace, so he just gripped his son's hand and held it tight.

"Call me Moon." whispered Remus. Hope burst into silent tears while Lyall hung his head, willing himself not to let a tear fall. He had to be a man for his son, despite how horrible he felt.

"Okay, we'll call you Moon from now on." Lyall said quietly. Remus grinned and nodded vigorously.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, you may leave now. The boy needs rest." Lyall and Hope nodded silently and tiptoed out of the room, leaving Remus to a handful of nurses to tend to his bite. Again.


	2. Chapter One - Rachel

CHAPTER ONE

 **RACHEL**

I leaned closer into the pages in my paperback, hoping nobody noticed the small girl in the corner reading dusty old books. But, of course, as it is with my luck, a couple of peppy fourteen-year-olds with too much makeup and short frilly skirts saw me.

"Oh my god! Look at her pants! How long has it been since she's washed them?" One with blond wavy hair glared in my direction.

"Probably like, a year!" Another with long black hair screeched. I hunched over even farther, trying to ignore all the stares in my direction, but in a few seconds, I couldn't handle it anymore. I stood up, grabbed my book, and walked briskly towards my mother to get my suitcase.

She saw me and immediately started combing her fingers through my hair and tugging at my clothes. I pulled away and grabbed my suitcase as she made a pouty face.

"I'll miss you, Mom," I said. She smiled.

"I'll miss you too, honey, I'm proud of you for all your good O.W.L.'s." she said. I smiled and gave her a hug.

"I'll see you at Christmas." she said as I stuffed my book in my bag.

"Yep. Bye, Mom." I said as I began to walk towards the platform. I walked a little faster, until I opened my eyes again.

I saw owls swooping over people's heads, students from eleven to seventeen bustling around, looking for a door to the train. I heard the polite chatter of parents talking with their children and giving them their farewells.

I breathed in the pleasing aroma of fresh school supplies, Hogwarts uniforms, and yes, I'll admit, I smelled a bit of owl dung as well.

Yup, this was home.

"Rachel!" I heard a familiar voice yell from behind. I turned around to see my best friend, Alice Brashan, grinning at me with her boyfriend, Frank Longbottom, standing beside her.

My heart sank. Over the summer, I had forgotten that Alice and Frank were together. I was happy for Alice and all, and Frank was a nice guy, but I didn't get any time with Alice. The two of them would study together, eat together, sit in class together, and if I went with them, I felt too awkward to explain in words, watching them hold hands and smile romantically at each other. And, all right, fine, I'll admit it. I was a little jealous of Alice, too.

"Blimey, it's been so long! Tell me everything!" she said, then looked at her watch. "Well, maybe not now. You wanna get a compartment with Frank and I?" I sighed in relief that she hadn't called Frank Frankie-Poo or something. I glanced at Frank, who smiled politely at me.

"No, thanks," I said finally. "I'll let you two be." Alice looked disappointed for a moment until Frank grabbed her hand and led her over to the train. I waited awhile, recounting what had just happened, then came to my senses and followed them to the train entrance.

After about thirty minutes of looking for a compartment, I finally sank onto the floor in the back of the train. I was determined not to sit with Alice and Frank. I had had enough of them already.

I pulled out my book when the train whistled one last time and one last boy walked into the train. I recognized him immediately as one of the Marauders, the most popular group at Hogwarts, but couldn't remember his name. He had light brown hair and blue eyes that shone in the light. I dug myself into my book and tried to pretend he wasn't there.

"You okay?" I looked up and saw that he was talked me. I shrugged.

"Yeah, no empty compartments." I muttered, not meeting his eyes. He cocked his head to the side.

"You wanna sit with me?" I looked up at him, making sure he wasn't joking. After all, the Marauders were known for mischief. But this Marauder looked as sincere as ever.

"Umm... sure, I guess. Thanks." I said, standing up and straightening my skirt. He pointed to the left, where the last compartment was, and opened the door.

As soon as I walked in, I had regretted my choice already.

Three boys and one girl were squished in. The girl looked frustrated, with her arms and legs crossed. She had bright red hair and green eyes. I recognized the boy sitting beside her immediately. He had messy dark hair, hazel eyes, this was James Potter, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. He was staring dreamily at the redhead, and tried to put his arm around her every once in a while, but she slapped him away every time.

The boy sitting beside him looked familiar too, though I couldn't remember his name. Simon? Silas? He had dark hair that draped over his face in a sort of casual elegance, and his gray eyes glittered with excitement when he looked at me. He had his arms crossed and was smirking at me. I looked away quickly and turned to the boy on the other side next.

He had light blond hair, and reminded me of a mouse, with his small features and round face. He giggled when he saw me, and I remembered seeing him following the Marauders around in corridors.

I was always awkward around boys. It seemed every time one caught my eye, I did something stupid like trip over my feet or drop my books. So I had decided never to talk to or be near boys. Girls, too, really, since Megan started obsessing over Frank. So, sitting in a compartment with the most popular group at school, well, I wanted to run out of the compartment and hide in a corner.

"Who could this be, Moony?" The boy beside James asked. The boy who led me here shrugged.

"She didn't have a compartment, and I thought maybe she could squeeze in with us." he said. He turned to me. "Let me introduce you to my friends. This is Sirius Black." the guy said, gesturing towards the dark-haired boy. He gave me that famous grin that most girls drooled over. I rolled my eyes.

"But my friends call me Padfoot." he drawled. "You can too, my love." My eyes widened for a moment as the words sank in. Then I remembered that this kid was the biggest flirt in the school, and brushed it off.

"This is James Potter. I think you know him." the boy continued. The James looked at me and grinned mischievously.

"Yeah, I do. He's the kid with the ridiculous amount of ego." I said quietly, hoping no one heard me. Unfortunately, Sirius heard me and muttered, "Sassy. I like it." I wrinkled my nose.

"I'm Remus Lupin." the guy with light brown hair said. I looked at him and saw how blue his eyes were. He noticed me staring and smiled. I looked away as he continued.

"This is Peter Pettigrew." The mousy boy grinned as Remus said his name. He waved at me awkwardly, then giggled.

"And this is Lily Evans." he pointed at the redhead, who smiled tiredly as if to say, _Welcome to the club._

"Everyone, this is -" Remus looked at me guiltily, as if it were a horrible thing that he didn't know my name.

"I'm Rachel Wagner." I said, silently praising myself because I didn't stutter as much as I normally did.

Remus slipped into the seat beside Peter and patted the spot beside him, looking at me. I plunked down by him.

"You a seventh year?" James asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, we are too." Lily muttered. James tried to hold her hand, and finally she stood up, exasperated. She turned to me.

"Rachel, let's go find another compartment. These guys are killing me." she said. James smirked and grabbed her by the waist.

"Lils, there's no other empty compartments. You'll have to stick with us." she shook out of his grasp and turned to me urgently.

"Come on, Rachel!" she pleaded.

"Sorry, no, I think I'll stick with these guys." I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sirius Black wiggle his eyebrows at me and grin. I sighed and sat back in my seat as Lily stormed out of the compartment and slammed the door.

This was going to be a long ride.


	3. Chapter Two - Rachel

CHAPTER TWO

 **RACHEL**

"Moony, don't you have to sit at the prefects compartment?" James asked.

"It's optional," Remus replied.

Sirius scooted closer to James and looked at the empty seat beside him, then at me. "Wanna sit here, love?" he drawled with that sideways grin on his face. I frowned.

"No, I'm fine." I muttered, pulling out my book. Remus stared at it, squinting. I closed it shut so he could see the title. He smiled.

"You're reading that?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I've read pretty much everything." I replied.

"Have you read the first series?" he asked.

"Who hasn't?" I answered with a smile.

"A lot of people, actually. In fact, almost everyone I know has only read the second and third series," Remus replied, "Unbelievable. You wouldn't understand any of it if you haven't read the first series." Sirius grinned at our conversation and muttered, "Never met a hot nerd." I was liking that guy less and less.

"What part are you at?" Remus asked.

"I'm at the part where you find out he's a werewolf," I answered. "I think Brianna Walkins wrote that part real well." Remus looked down.

"Yeah, that part's really good," he said, "I like how insane she made him. Makes the whole story sort of make sense." Sirius and James looked at him for a second, exchanged a look that I couldn't quite read, then, when Remus gave them an angry glare, they resumed their jokes. Meanwhile, Peter was staring out the window dreamily, humming "Old McDonald."

Remus and I chatted for a while, though Remus didn't seem as into it as he did before, and he kept shooting looks at Sirius and James.

Soon, the train began to slow down, and soon enough, students were filing out of the train. The Marauders and I followed.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!" I heard a familiar voice boom. Turning around, I saw Hagrid, with his bushy beard and huge stature, leading the first years over to the lake. I smiled as I saw the carriages with the threstrals, packed with students.

Of course, I couldn't see the threstrals. I had learned about them last year in Care of Magical Creatures, though, and Alice could see them, because she saw her baby cousin drown in their lake.

I filed into a carriage with the Marauders and another Gryffindor. She said her name was Molly, and I remembered seeing her a few times in the common room and such. She had bright red hair and warm brown eyes. She was nice, but didn't seem very interested in the Marauders. I didn't blame her. They didn't seem as cool as they let on.

When the carriages stopped, we marched out with the rest of the school to the Great Hall, where the aroma of warm mashed potatoes and steak-and-kidney pie filled the room.

"I hope the Sorting doesn't take long," Sirius said, "I'm hungry." He kept on trying to walk by me, or give me his jacket, or something. Remus gave me an apologetic look as Sirius slipped beside me at the Gryffindor table. I got a lot of looks, some envious, some menacing, and some just surprised. Alice raised an eyebrow at Sirius and I when she veered off to the left to sit at the Ravenclaw table. Once all of us were seated, Professor Dumbledore stood. The chatting in the hall silenced as he began to speak.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I hope you all enjoy it here! Filch has asked me to remind you that magic between classes is banned, as is communicating with the house elves." he paused, and a few Hufflepuffs giggled. Last year, the Hufflepuffs enjoyed going down to the kitchens to chat with the house elves – and steal food.

"Now, by all means, I understand how hungry you all must be after a long ride from London. I will not jabber any longer. Let the Sorting begin!" Dumbledore announced. I always marveled at his ability to catch people's attention. You'd think that people would brush him off and call him crazy because of his age, but actually, his age seemed to be the reason why people respected him so much.

"Anduth, Mark!" Professor McGonagall yelled. A chubby boy with dark hair shuffled onto the stool and shoved the hat on his head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat screeched. The boy blushed and went off to the applauding Hufflepuffs.

"Bethreys, Anna!"(to all you demigods out there; eat blue food) McGonagall announced. A girl with blond waves marched to the stool and gave the hat a interested look before placing it gently onto her head. After a few moments, the hat shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" And Anna marched over to the Ravenclaw table.

After what seemed like hours, Professor McGonagall finally shouted, "Zeppyson, Andrew!" The hat barked, "SLYTHERIN!" And food appeared on the plates in the hall.

I stuffed my face with turkey, then potatoes, then the apple pie. I concentrated so much on eating that I didn't say a word the rest of the feast. I gulped down my pumpkin juice, and looked up to see Remus smiling at me, eyebrows raised.

"Were you hungry?" he asked teasingly.

"You go without breakfast and lunch, and see how you feel!" I replied. He laughed. It wasn't a mean laugh, just a warm laugh.

"I go without meals more than you'd think." he said. I widened my eyes.

"How do you survive?" I asked. Remus shrugged.

"I guess I'm not a big food fan." he answered. After a while, Dumbledore stood and the hall silenced once again.

"Well, now that you are all full, I suggest the prefects lead all their students to their common rooms to find warm beds. I bid you all good night." he said. The prefects stood, along with Remus, and they led the first years to their common rooms, the older students following.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow," Sirius said once we got to the common room. I tried not to scream.

"Yeah. Night." I said, running up the stairs and almost tripping. I didn't understand why so many girls liked Sirius. Sure, he was handsome, but he reminded me of a dog in some ways: he would drool over any girl halfway pretty, and the way his hair hung over his head reminded me of a dog.

When I got to the girls' dormitories, I found my bed at the end of the room. I saw Molly, the girl I met on the carriage, sitting on the bed beside me.

"Looks like we're roommates." she said.

"Yup," I said, digging in my suitcase for my sweats. I pulled them out, tugged them on, and hopped into bed.

Dreams visited. As always.

I was in the library. Remus was there, and he was reading at the same table as me. Every once in a while, we'd look up from our books and talk and laugh. We kept up like that for what seemed like a half an hour or so, but Madam Pince came and shooed us out. We laughed and ran through the empty halls over to the common rooms and plopped on the couch and resumed studying there.

I think it was the next day. I was in the library again, only then I was by myself. I think I was waiting for someone. I kept looking over at the door expectantly. I kept on waiting, until Madam Pince screeched at me and I walked out, by myself this time. Filch's cat saw me, and even though I was running as fast as I could, Filch caught up with me. He gave me detention for a week.

I woke up, breathing hard as if I had just sprinted across the halls to get away from Filch in real life. I wiped a tear out of my eye. _Quit crying, Rachel,_ I thought, _you're being stupid._

I wish it wasn't real. I wish I didn't have the cursed power I had. But I knew.

This dream was real.


End file.
